Just having a little fun with the “Artrage” app on my IPad. I like it for mimicking lush buttery oil paint without all the mess and clean up. I also like the ability to “dry” the painting so you can work on top of the thick paint you already put down. The wet into wet or alla prima simulation is almost unnerving in how real it feels.

Folio Academy is now host to another ground-breaking artist! Paul Mann has arrived! Paul Mann is a veteran painter in acrylic and oil paints specializing in themes focused on the Old West. He brings the cowboy spirit to life in dramatic western landscapes, and historically accurate costumes, scenes, and figures. In our new video course “From Thumbnail to Finish,” Paull Mann will teach as he completes his work from beginning to end, bringing his expertise from years of experience, to anyone with a desire to learn.

Paul Mann grew up loving the Old West. Even as a child he remembers being interested, and this led to drawing and recreating it on paper. Now, as an adult, he continues his love of this time period by devoting himself to bringing the authentic Wild West to his canvases. In addition to doing extensive research into cowboy and indian life and lifestyles, Paul collects costumes and handmade clothing, adornments and implements. Finding models in real life, Paul brings his knowledge and passion to the public in his masterfully crafted paintings. Paul says, “I love the art of building a picture, the design, color and value. I love the use of drama and strong lighting with a great story. I continue to relish the research and making and collecting clothing from the 1800’s.” Paul looks up to artists such as Tom Lovell, Frank McCarthy, Howard Terpning and Robert McGinnis; artists from what he calls “the golden age of Illustration – around the 50’s and 60’s.”

In our new coarse “From Thumbnail to Finish,” Paul Mann brings us his process of painting a western scene from beginning to end. From his early sketches and concepting process he starts with an idea and brings it to life in acrylic and oils. He demonstrates his technique by working on several panels, and is thus able to show a painting process which normally takes many hours, in an hour and forty minutes. Paul demonstrates the key stages of layering his painting. Paul is a veteran artist and his final piece reflects how he generously shares his years of experience. Ages 16 up. Approx run time: 100 min

Dani Jones has arrived at Folio Academy! A new video course “Five Quick Photoshop Tips for Illustrators,” by Dani Jones is now available for streaming on folioacademy.com! Designed to be especially useful for working illustrators and digital painters, this video will teach you the process of illustrating with Photoshop – from a Photoshop expert!

Dani Jones is a Children’s Illustrator, artist, writer, and comic creator living in New Hampshire, she went to school and received her BFA at Brigham Young University Idaho. Along with creating her own comics and stories, Dani has done illustrations for many clients, such as Scholastic, Highlights Magazine, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Price Stern Sloan. With a constantly updated blog, Dani loves sharing her processes, and learning from other artists. Additional tutorial videos and tips can be found on her blog, and her ongoing web comic “My Sister the Freak” can be found at mysisterthefreak.com .

This new video from Folio Academy will teach you the strategies you need to be a proficient illustrator using Photoshop. Photoshop Illustrator Dani Jones will teach you the tips and tricks she uses in her own Illustration career. She will take you through the process of creating her own work, while showing you five basic techniques that will help you get the most out of digital illustration. The course will teach you things like: how to use layer masks to make spot illustrations, how to use smart objects to compose art and layouts, several ways to prepare a scanned sketch, and some quick ways to experiment with color and texture. Learn how to paint and illustrate digitally in Photoshop with Dani Jones, in “Five Quick Photoshop Tips for Illustrators.”
Approximate Run Time: 78 min. Ages 16 and up

As Promised I’m finally finished with this series – I’ll be updating accounts this week for all those who have already purchased “Digital Painting in Photoshop from either http://willterry.com or http://folioacademy.com So – I’m giving this tutorial away for Free to anyone who has purchased the first course. I’m not sure how long it will take to get all the accounts updated – we’re working on a way to automate it but either way it will happen soon.

Another celebrated artist has arrived! Folio Academy is now home to Simon Winegar. Simon Winegar creates moods that are often romantic and thought provoking in his dazzling landscapes. His new video course “Laying Groundwork for Great Landscapes,” is a great addition to the Folio Academy collection.

Simon Winegar has been creating works of art since he was a kid growing up in the Suburbs of Salt Lake City. He was born in 1979, and began drawing and painting with crayola crayons and watercolor paints at a young age. He has come a long way since then. Since entering the market in 2000, Simon has had his work shown in some of the most prestigeous galleries in the United States and has been seen in many one-man-shows. He has been featured in many magazines, books, and art venues that have shown his work in a light of proffesionalism and quality. Simon Winegar also has his paintings on display in the International Museum of Contemporary Masters of Fine Art, the Museum of Church History, and the Springville Art Museum.

Whether your a beginner, or more advanced, you’ll benefit from Simon’s expertise as he takes you step, by step through painting a landscape. Using water soluable oil paints, Simon will teach you how to keep your drawing while laying in values and rich colors. Simon will teach you how to have good composition and design in your landscapes. If your interested in learning to paint landscapes – learn from a landscape master – Simon Winegar!
Ages 16 and up. Approximate run time: 90 min.